Jerry Falwell dead at 73

[cloudy]

Jerry Falwell dead.

I feel for his family; I empathize with their feelings, but I can't say that I'm sorry to see him go.

 

[impressive]

 

[Stella_Omega]

I don't feel for his family.

There are other families that I feel for, who've lost members that were good and honest.

 

[JPMMURPHY]

You are always so kind Cloudy. Here -

Myself? Good Riddance. He was a man that aspired to power, for the sake of power.

 

[Jubal_Harshaw]

Call me cold hearted but I say good riddence.

 

[jomar]

No shit? I'll check the news when I get home. My daughter's friend goes to Liberty. They are grooming the next generation of Washington, DC political conservatives - Liberty also won the 2006 (? I believe) national college debate championships. Be afraid, be very afraid...

 

[mikey2much]

More of a con-man than a preacher, more politician than a Christian

President Jimmy Carter, a very devout man, once said of brother Jerry.
“speaking as a Christian Jerry Falwell can go to hell.” I tend to agree.

I bet he is learning some harsh lessons about where he went wrong about now.

 

[Guest]

Jerry Falwell dead.

I feel for his family; I empathize with their feelings, but I can't say that I'm sorry to see him go.

I am not sorry.

This sums up a great deal for me:


The rise of Christian conservatism — and the Moral Majority‘s full-throated condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and pornography — made Falwell perhaps the most recognizable figure on the evangelical right, and one of the most controversial ones, too.

Matt Foreman, executive director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, extended condolences to those close to Falwell, but added: "Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America‘s anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation‘s appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation."

http://www.localnewswatch.com/jordanfalls/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=110556
It's sad, really.

With his many avid followers, what good works he could have done.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

The christian conservative is behind Bush and the war in Iraq. He has the lives of almost 3400 dead on his soul. Screw him.

 

[rgraham666]

I suspect that Jerry Falwell is now enjoying his, to him, very surprising reward.

"What?" he's screaming in the Lake of Fire. "You were serious when You said that we should love one another as You have loved us? I thought that was just to reel the rubes in!"

 

[yevkassem72]

As an agnostic, I do feel for his family and I don't believe in Hell.

That being said, as far as Hell is concerned, there's a first time for everything, and he is more deserving than most this side of Adolf Hitler, Ayatollah Khomeini, Yassir Arafat, Menachem Begin, and Hafez al Assad.

 

[Belegon]

Those that loved him have my condolences... I will not celebrate any man's death.

 

[fcdc]

I hope Jerry is right about his own faith, and that his claim that God's love is unconditional is more true than even he realizes. I hope he goes to heaven and is surrounded by gays, people of other faiths, agnostics, atheists, single mothers, people who had an abortion, recreational drug-users - in short, everyone with whom he disagreed in real life. I hope he can learn to love them and accept them in the next life, and realizes the mistakes that he committed in this one.

That's the reward and afterlife that he deserves.

I hope the Religious Right movement disappears in my lifetime, although I doubt it will, and the joke of a university that he created, I hope never gains full accreditation. As someone who attends a school that nominally belongs to a religion in which I do not believe, there are good ways of comingling faith and education, and I have seen a lot of good done by my law school and by the undergrads I know (I did not attend undergrad here). Regents and Liberty University, from what I know as an outsider, completely miss the boat.

 

[moonlight elf]

my condolences to his loved ones.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Those that loved him have my condolences... I will not celebrate any man's death.

I will celebrate the removal of a despicable influence from the face of this earth.

One drop of water is out of that bucket, unfortunately there are gallons left to go.

 

[Grushenka]

I will remember Falwell for two things, one particularly despicable (among so many), and one ludicrous.

Despicable: That very soon after 9/11 he went on tv to suggest that the "terrorist attacks reflected God’s judgment on a nation spiritually weakened by the American Civil Liberties Union, providers of abortion and supporters of gay rights".

Ludicrous: Suggesting that one of the Teletubbies was a subversively gay creation polluting the minds of children.

What a waste of life was that man.

 

[Emperor_Nero]

Once again, thank you all for reaffirming my knowledge in the fact that I am not alone

I heard the news this afternoon and the first thought I had was "good". Then a felt a pang of guilt for having positive feelings about someone having died. But I always thought Falwell was a greedy schmuck who exploited peoples predjudices for his own personal gains in money and power and his departure from this earth was good news.

Those who loved him have my condolences, but he had better hope his God does truly forgive all.

And, again, thank you all for letting me know I'm not alone in thinking this.

 

[Tom Collins]

*doin' da Snoopy Dance on his grave*

 

[Wildcard Ky]

Those that loved him have my condolences... I will not celebrate any man's death.

Perfectly said Bel.

While I agree with very little that Falwell said, I won't relish his passing. Beneath all of the hoopla, someone has lost a Father, Husband, friend, etc.

 

[MagicaPractica]

"Ding dong, the witch is dead, which old witch? The wicked witch," started playing in my head as soon as I read this headline. The only problem is, I like witches. He lived a long life and we're rid of him. I'm not sorry for anybody.

 

[Edward Teach]

Good riddance, says I.

He took every opportunity to benefit from the hardships of others and was a liar and a thief.

Remember him blaming 9-11 on gays, abortionists, the ACLU, etc?

Remember him selling tapes accusing then sitting President Clinton of murder and drug dealing?

Remember when Jim Bakker resigned from PTL in 1987 and Falwell rushed to Charlotte to “help”?

Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart had a very bitter fight over who would take control of Bakker's PTL and Heritage USA. I remember Gene Scott, the California televangelist saying that what they were fighting over wasn't the real estate or the TV program or the theme park or any of that shit. What they really wanted was Bakker's database. Scott said that the PTL db was the most sophisticated fund raising program in the country, raising over a million dollars a week in donations.

Falwell talked Bakker into giving him control of PTL, sent Swaggart packing, then promptly turned on Bakker, accusing him of being gay and a thief. Soon after gaining control of PTL, Falwell used it to raise $20 million then put it into bankruptcy and walked away, most certainly with the database.

Swaggart was photographed a year later with a prostitute.

 

[Wildcard Ky]

People like Falwell are necessary in this country.

We need people to galvanize us into our feelings. He obviously had a lot of people that felt the same way he felt. There's obviously a lot of people who are opposed to the things he thought.

Like him or not, he filled an important role in modern culture. People like him force others to become involved in opposing or agreeing with him. His role in society was no different than Sharpton, Farrakhan, or any host of other people that are focal points for social issues.

People like him make us think. They make us act. They make us educate ourselves on topics.

Look at how passionate some of you are in your condemnation of Falwell. He's a big part of what made you that passionate. He made you look at your feelings on issues and take a strong stance. You can remember the things he said, and make a good argument against them.

Like it or not, he had an impact on you. He made you take a look at the society around you and take a stand on it.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Perfectly said Bel.

While I agree with very little that Falwell said, I won't relish his passing. Beneath all of the hoopla, someone has lost a Father, Husband, friend, etc.

Millions of people lose husbands, fathers, friends.
Far too many of the husbands, fathers friends that have been lost since 9/11 can be attributed to Falwell's support of Bush's Iraqi war.

And then there are the sons and freinds that have been cast out of their families as a result of Falwell's homophobic brainwashings. Those people have lost loved ones too.

Why should an evil man be mourned, when he created so much misery? I don't get it.

 

[MagicaPractica]

People like Falwell are necessary in this country...
Like it or not, he had an impact on you. He made you take a look at the society around you and take a stand on it.

I can buy that but in a way it validates our feelings of negativity toward him. If he exists for me to dislike, then I see no need to thank him for it.

 

[Wildcard Ky]

Millions of people lose husbands, fathers, friends.
Far too many of the husbands, fathers friends that have been lost since 9/11 can be attributed to Falwell's support of Bush's Iraqi war.

And then there are the sons and freinds that have been cast out of their families as a result of Falwell's homophobic brainwashings. Those people have lost loved ones too.

Why should an evil man be mourned, when he created so much misery? I don't get it.

Was he evil to the millions that agreed with him?

Personally, I don't mourn for him. I didn't agree with him on anything that I know of. I'll have enough respect for his loved ones to not bash him, or celebrate his death though.